Only Time Will Tell

Shattered

It's Jade, as usual. Every day, every breath Jake takes near Emily is a day I feel depressed. I try to hide it from my parents, and I know they have no idea what I'm going through. I bet their High School experience was way less dramatic than this, where every day I felt as if curtains would close behind me. I can't shake the feeling that they're going to get caught, and the scary part is I don't know if I would be happy or sad.

I realized that I have to move on, try and find someone new. After all, Jake is sacrificing a lot to secretly meet with Emily; his time, homework, parents getting mad at him. If he wasn't that into her, he would never even think about going against his parents. You may think that he's a party boy and a rebel, and you are right in some ways. He loves partying, and his parents don't like football yet he wears his position with pride. But he told me that he promised never to get his parents angry, because he knew that after all they did to him, and after they got over his hobby of running back, they didn't deserve a rebellious teenager. That's one of the many things I like about him.

I need to find a way to stop thinking about him, but it's really hard nowadays. It seems that everything I do reminds me of him. When my father was in the family room enjoying Sunday football, I glanced at the TV and imagined Jake swinging his arms in the air and sprinting down the field, trying to get a touchdown. During plays in Spanish, one student said Guapo (handsome) and I immediately began thinking of his white smile, pretty eyes, great hair. It's really hard to ignore him when everything about him is likable. But, I need to get over my obsession, and maybe give a chance to someone who feels the same way about me as I do with Jake.

***

I arrived a little late to Justin's, seeing as I had a terrible group project that I had to do 99% of the work. The worst part, as it was in Math, my most disliked subject, and it was due tomorrow. Another terrible aspect was our teacher had no heart when it came to projects.

"Before I tell you your partners, I want everyone to take a glance at the left side of the whiteboard," Ms. Madrozein said one crisp Monday morning.

My head turned as I noticed black bold letter where she was referring to. I DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENS, AS LONG AS YOU GET IT DONE.
I remember that day like no other, mainly because that was the morning when Ms. Madrozein had introduced the rule, where hell began Kendra referenced to. Tyler snapped me back into the real world as he called my name from a booth in the back.
"Hey, Jade!" He yelled. I almost didn't hear him from the conversations and noises of fryers and blenders in the back.
Justin's was a typical burger place, and it was the opposite of classy. The crowd consisted of High Schoolers, Middle Schoolers, and some families looking for an easy meal. Sometimes couples would come, but it was usually rowdy so it was not their top spot to dine. Stories told of a young boy named Justin dreaming of creating an Italian joint, but his dreams were squashed when Rozinat opened, and he knew that place was unbeatable. His next biggest bet was American food, so he made a place like Mcdonald's and named it after himself, hoping his name would never be forgotten.

Every student including Tyler and I heard the short tale from others, it was a common conversation starter. So I wasn't that surprised when Tyler asked me a question.

"Have you heard about how this place opened?"
"Yeah, it's pretty popular."
"Huh, I guess it is. It was pretty understandable to quit after Rozinat."
"That place is great."
"Yeah, they have the best-"
"Margarita pizza." Tyler and I said in sync. We both stared at each other and I had a small smile.

I began tuning into other customer's conversations as Tyler scrolled down the menu, probably deciding on the hamburger with or without cheese.
"Did you hear two teenagers got in a car crash the other day?" A small boy asked, roughly in seventh grade I assumed.
"Yeah, I think they go to Granite. Is driving really that dangerous?" His friend asked in a high pitched voice.